A Court of Smoke and Shadows (An ACOTAR sequel fanfic)

Chapter 13 - Family secrets

Rhiannon received a mouthful of hair as her mother pulled her into a bone crushing hug. She gave her brother a startled, wide eyed stare of confusion over Feyre's shoulder.
"You're here," Feyre sighed, stroking a comforting hand through her daughter's hair. She pulled back to examine her daughter, "I'm so glad you're OK."
Rhiannon arched a well groomed brow, "OK?" she said drily. "After that reaction you're glad I'm OK?" she batted away her mother's grasp on her shoulders and glided to stand next to Gabriel. She didn't missed the small downturn of her father's lips from where he stood leaning against the kitchen door way as she did so.
Feyre spun to face her, "I'm sorry I acted the way I did that night," she took a step closer to her offspring. Rhiannon crossed her arms haughtily.
"I'm sorry too for our behavior," she glanced at her brother, "but you owe us an explanation for shipping us out to the Illyrian camps."
Feyre twisted the sparkling ring around on her left hand. "We understand." she gestured for them to sit in the living room.
"Where's everyone else?" Gabriel asked as he sank into a plushy armchair, wings fully relaxed. He looked exhausted, dark circles rimmed his eyes and Rhiannon was sure even just the few days of living in the harsh weather with notorious training had pulled some weight off from his face. She probably looked just as worse for wear with her tangled hair and dirt smudged face.
"Handling things. Alot has happened in the past few days." their father's soothing voice did much to settle his children.
Rhiannon curled up in a chair next to her brother. She grimaced at the streak of mud her boots had left in the plush carpet. Now in this enclosed space she could even smell herself. How she longed for a hot bath.
Their parents settled in the sofa opposite them, Rhysand with a muscled arm draped over Feyre's shoulder. They were the picture perfect parents. Rhiannon twitched. No-one was perfect, even High Lords and Ladies had their flaws.
The firelight cast a warm glow over her parent's faces, did they look more haggard than usual?
"You want to know why you were sent up here to the camps." Feyre began, her tone even.
The siblings nodded. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gabriel's little finger tapping away with anticipation against the leather on his thigh.
"Your little excursion to the Spring Court on Calanmai caused some...troublesome reactions." Rhiannon noticed she was fiddling with her ring again. What indeed had happened to reduce their mother to an anxious woman. Her violet eyes narrowed a fraction at her observation, her mother had never behaved like this before. She saw her father give her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder.
"You see, only a select few know of your birth and existence. The Fae at Spring Court guessed who you were." Feyre admitted, looking into the fire.
Gabriel took in a sharp breath of air.
"Beyond Velaris, your identities are either unknown or rumours of smoke and shadow."
"Why?" Gabriel asked, his finger now tapping so fast Rhiannon was afraid it would separate from his hand altogether.
Feyre took in a deep breath, "Before you were born, your father and I were warned of harm coming to our children in the future. It was to protect you. There were a series of incidents that happened, you were both far too young to remember. But we dealt with it. We tried to keep you safe without suffocating your freedom. I of all people understand how that feels the most." her eyes glazed for a moment before refocusing. "So when both of you be ventured to the Spring Court alone, I was not that surprised. Only scared and worried about what may happen."
Rhiannon frowned, "What harm did the prophecy warn of? And surely the most powerful High Lord and Lady in Prythian would be able to deal with the threat?"
Rhysand sighed and combed a hand through his dark hair that was so like Gabriel's. "It was vague, as all prophecies are. It implied that with the birth of our children, a being with more power that we have ever seen before would arrive. One that would plunge our courts into war once again. With each other, or with other lands, it did not specify, as such are the mysterious ways of the seers." Rhysand quirked a small smile.
Gabriel snarled softly. "And has this being made their appearance to wreak havoc in our lands?"
Both their parents notably stiffened in their seats. Feyre was staring unblinkingly into the flickering flames, while Rhysand fixed them with an unflinching gaze that pinned them in their seats. "She's sat right next to you."  he said softly.
A beat of silence.
Rhiannon blinked as her father's gaze bored into her. She could feel that familiar pressure in the front of her mind, was he trying to get a read on her?
Gabriel's barked laughter made their mother jump. "My sister? You must have remembered the prophecy wrong. Beyond just about summoning wings and her adorable blade skills she's as dangerous as a little kitten."
Rhiannon hissed in outraged and aimed a punch hard enough to bruise on his bicep.
"Your father is not wrong." Feyre turned to look at them. "Your sister's lack of power is not because it does not exist but because we have locked it away." she gave Rhiannon an apologetic look, her blue grey eyes lined with the silver of tears. "Maybe it was the wrong thing to do but we did it to protect you, and the rest of the people."
"You took away my powers?" Rhiannon asked icily.
She stood from her chair, the beginnings of anger simmering in her blood as her parents words sunk in. She felt her hands twitch as they begged the solid weight of a blade. She stalked towards her parents, outrage radiating from her like heat from the fire.
"How. Dare. You." she ground out through clenched teeth.
She felt a hard barrier of air form between her and her parents. It only pissed her off even more.
Her father stood, towering above her but she didn't care. All rational thoughts were beyond her now. All she could think about was that she could have been more, could have been better, more powerful than her current pathetic state and it was them who made her this way.
Rhysand raised a hand, "We did it to protect you. Your power was not one that was known when you came to us. We did not know if it would even destroy you."
"You took what was mine." she yelled, eyes blazing. Her father flinched, actually flinched at whatever it was he saw behind those burning violet eyes. "You did not even let me experience it! It is my power. I would decide if it destroyed me or not." she slammed a palm into that wall of solid air. "Gabriel would not have to protect me like he does." Hot tears she did not know had formed tracked down her flushed cheeks. "My power would have been my freedom." she gasped, "I would not be so weak."
"You are not defined by your power Rhiannon." her father thundered. Around them the shadows darkened imperceptibly.
"You are High Lord of the Night Court. I beg to differ other wise." she snarled. Rhysand took in a deep breath.
A warm hand pressed into her lower back.
"I think my sister needs time to process what you've just told us." Gabriel eyed each of their parents. Feyre paled noticeably but nodded.
"Leave us." Rhiannon said, her voice as icy and hard as coldest depths of the Winter Court.
"Rhiannon please," Feyre reached towards her daughter, pain lining her face.
Rhiannon felt like the churning waters of the Sidra River, "Go."
She needed space to think.
"I will let the camp commanders know you will be absent until tomorrow." Rhysand said quietly before disappearing with his wife in a sweep of night and stars.
Rhiannon's knees gave way and she collapsed onto the floor with enough force to rattle her bones. Racking sobs shook her body as she tried to process the monstrous information her parents had handed her.
All the while Gabriel stayed. He said nothing but hugged his sister tight in the waning firelight as she cried.
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Bomb drop much!
I think Rhiannon handled it pretty well considering she's just found out all that she could be was taken away from her before she even had a chance to experience it. I am rather envious of her having a protective older bro!
Thank you so much for reading, please vote and comment if you liked it!